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Cleveland Cavaliers coach David Blatt was rather blunt in his assessment of LeBron James.
He loved his offensive mindset last week in a win over the Chicago Bulls. He thought his star was rather passive the night before in a loss to the New York Knicks.
In a blowout loss to the Portland Trailblazers last night, he thought James was again a bit passive. Tonight, against the Utah Jazz, he wants the LeBron James that showed up against the Chicago Bulls.
Which player will it be that rolls through EnergySolutions Arena? Will it be the playmaker? Or will it be the one that can go for 40 points without blinking?
"I hope it's the LeBron we saw against the Bulls," Blatt said with a smile. "That's the one we need right now."
The Cavaliers are in a tough circumstance tonight. They are playing a back-to-back. They are playing in elevation. They are playing a night after being blown out. They are facing questions from the national media. And they are playing without their back-up shooting guard, Matthew Dellavedova. Yes, Dante Exum's fellow countryman comes off the bench. But through the first week of the season, he's been an important part of what the Cavs do.
"He allows us some versatility," Blatt said. "He can play the point, or play some off-guard minutes, so those are minutes we're going to have to account for. We just have to have a next man up mentality tonight in that spot."
Blatt is shaking his starting lineup tonight, moving James to shooting guard, starting Shawn Marion at small forward and moving Dion Waitors to the bench. He hopes it will alleviate the number of players in the lineup needing the ball in their hands.
Speaking pregame, James was complementary of the Jazz. He talked about their talent, and the fact that Utah's putting together a core that could become formidable at some point in the near future.
"It's a young group," James said "They ball, they've got some chemistry and they've been together for a couple of years, so it helps.
The Jazz are 1-3 coming into tonight, with their lone win coming over the Phoenix Suns on Saturday. There is some optimism. After the first two games of the season - blowout losses to Houston and Dallas - Utah played well against Phoenix and the Los Angeles Clippers on the road. With a six game east coast swing looming next week, the Jazz are attempting to take advantage of consecutive home games tonight and Friday night against the Mavericks.
Tony Jones